{"id":26042,"date":"2025-08-27T07:52:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T07:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/26042\/"},"modified":"2025-08-27T07:52:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T07:52:08","slug":"it-all-started-with-a-leap-of-faith-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/26042\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It all started with a leap of faith\u2019 \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I left Ireland to study abroad<\/a> back in 2017, the path was often viewed as a practical fallback for students<\/a> pursuing medicine or other competitive fields. <\/p>\n

So, when I said I was moving to the Netherlands<\/a> to study international politics and relations \u2013 which I could have done at home \u2013 some people asked me why. <\/p>\n

I\u2019ve always had a deep curiosity about the world and the systems that govern it. I have a particular love for language learning and a fascination with history.<\/p>\n

So, to me, it made perfect sense to study global politics abroad. I chose to pursue a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in politics and international affairs at Leiden University<\/a>. It was the perfect fit for me.<\/p>\n

As the Netherlands\u2019 oldest university, it had a strong reputation for academic excellence and a globally recognised, long-established international law and politics department. <\/p>\n

Moreover, I was based in The Hague<\/a>, a city truly at the heart of global affairs, with the International Criminal Court, the International Court of Justice, and other international institutions on my doorstep.<\/p>\n

From the Netherlands, I went to Italy<\/a> for my postgraduate degree at the University of Bologna. In Italy, I gained a different perspective on my chosen field \u2013 one that emphasised pragmatism and working within the limitations of our existing international system.<\/p>\n

The combination of the Dutch and Italian perspectives on global issues provided me with a multifaceted understanding of global problem-solving. <\/p>\n

[\u00a0Thinking about studying abroad? Here\u2019s what you should considerOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

\"LeidenLeiden University is one of Europe’s leading international research universities. Photograph: Getty Images <\/p>\n

As part of my two-year degree in Bologna, I was able to apply to the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and finish my studies with a Master\u2019s in International Affairs.<\/p>\n

I am from Limerick city<\/a>. My primary school, An Modhscoil, and secondary school, Laurel Hill Col\u00e1iste, are within a five-minute walk of each other. So, being gifted a generous scholarship to such a prestigious and international school felt almost unreal. <\/p>\n

In just over five years, I earned three degrees from three different universities, each offering its own distinct perspective on global affairs. It all started with a leap of faith back in 2017, and if you had told me then where that decision would lead, I wouldn\u2019t have believed you.<\/p>\n

Of course, my experience studying abroad did not come without challenges. At times, it can be isolating to navigate new systems, rules and academic expectations by yourself. In the Netherlands, when looking for accommodation, you would often see advertisements that read \u201cDutch only\u201d. The language barrier was a challenge at first, both in the Netherlands and especially in Italy.<\/p>\n

I found Sundays the hardest; all my friends would go home for the weekend and I would miss my family. However, the benefits always surpassed everything else. I have made friends with people all over the world \u2013 from Armenia to Zambia, Jordan to Japan and even someone from Dublin. <\/p>\n

I found the cultural exchanges between all the different nationalities to be truly enriching. I learned from my professors in lectures and office hours, as well as from casual conversations over coffee with local and international students.<\/p>\n

\"RuthRuth Culligan studied her postgraduate degree at the University of Bologna. Photograph: Getty Images <\/p>\n

For some of them, I was the first Irish person they had ever met. I felt a sense of responsibility over this and made a conscious effort to promote our language, history, and culture. Everyone I met always walked away with a c\u00fapla focail – a few words (in Irish). I have hosted a C\u00e9il\u00ed, organised Irish language classes, and got several past roommates addicted to Barry\u2019s Tea.<\/p>\n

Studying abroad has shaped me into a more resilient, adaptable, and independent person. I have been privileged to have some incredible adventures, fascinating cultural exchanges, and professional opportunities.<\/p>\n

For anyone considering it, I would wholeheartedly recommend taking the leap. Even if the international experiences don\u2019t tempt you, the cheaper tuition fees and sunshine just might.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When I left Ireland to study abroad back in 2017, the path was often viewed as a practical…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26043,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[9,10,14331,12552,13,14,6,2213,371,11,12,12550,15,16,392,5,12551,19822,1420,12548,7,8,65,66,67],"class_list":{"0":"post-26042","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-breaking-news","9":"tag-breakingnews","10":"tag-cao","11":"tag-classroom-to-college","12":"tag-featured-news","13":"tag-featurednews","14":"tag-headlines","15":"tag-irish-abroad","16":"tag-italy","17":"tag-latest-news","18":"tag-latestnews","19":"tag-leaving-certificate","20":"tag-main-news","21":"tag-mainnews","22":"tag-netherlands","23":"tag-news","24":"tag-second-level","25":"tag-smart-choices","26":"tag-students","27":"tag-third-level","28":"tag-top-stories","29":"tag-topstories","30":"tag-world","31":"tag-world-news","32":"tag-worldnews"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26042","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26042"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26042\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26043"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26042"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26042"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}